Case Number 11103: Small Claims Court

THE ALCHEMY OF ART: DAVID MACK

The Charge

"Sometimes your ideas and your instincts are smarter than you are. You
just have to realize that." -- David Mack

The Case

In near-future Japan, a woman, codenamed Kabuki, is a member of a group of
assassins called the Masks of the Noh. She rejects their ways, though, and later
finds herself inside the Control Corps, a strange facility where agents are
reprogrammed. As her adventures continue, Kabuki explores her past and her
identity and wonders about her future, while being hunted by her former Noh
partners, who are now out to kill her.

This is the tale from Kabuki, a creator-owned comic book written and
illustrated by David Mack, who has also written and drawn a successful run of
Daredevil for Marvel Comics. Mack's unique, experimental artwork caught
comic fans by surprise, combining various styles and elements, making them
unlike anything else on the shelves. Add to that storylines with a deep,
emotional center, and you have one of today's most notable comic creators.

In The Alchemy of Art: David Mack, director Greg Jurls (Terry
Moore: Paradise Found) puts his camera on Mack, who discusses his art, his
personal history, and his overall philosophy of life. Mack's family, fans, and
fellow creators are interviewed as well, offering their thoughts on Mack and his
work.

I get the sense that David Mack is a bit of a chatterbox. He seems to have
an opinion on everything, and he's willing to share it with anyone in earshot.
Whether it's his art or his childhood or his favorite comics, he has a lot to
say. The guy comes across in this documentary as a walking whirlwind of energy.
Whether he's painting, meeting fans at a convention, or just sitting and
chatting, he's always "on," and his constant enthusiasm is apparent on
screen.

Fortunately, Mack's non-stop outpouring of creative energy never fully
overwhelms viewers, because a lot of what he has to say is genuinely
interesting. He says that growing up without a television stirred him and his
brother to be more creative; to think up their own "culture" rather
than relying on the TV to do it for them. Because he never saw toy commercials
as a kid, Mack says he was content to build his own toys, rather than shop for
them. Later, he discusses how he uses physical elements on his comic pages, such
as photographs and torn pieces of paper, to enhance the feeling of atmosphere in
the story. A great cartoonist once said, "It's only lines on paper,
people," but David Mack puts that to the test with his intuitive,
collage-like approach to the medium. The documentary concludes with Mack's
thoughts about his fans, and about what he feels his work means to them; as
expected, he has plenty to say about this as well.

When I reviewed Jurls' Terry Moore documentary, I criticized it for being
nothing but 75 minutes of just one camera angle. I'm happy to say that Jurls has
improved considerably as a director and editor. This time, we see Mack in a
variety of environments in his interview segments; these segments are enhanced
with glimpses of his artwork throughout. We also get well-timed breaks to hear
from Mack's brother, and fans and colleagues interviewed at a comic book
convention. All this variety keeps the documentary moving nicely, never once
feeling dull.

Although non-anamorphic, the picture quality here is nice, especially when
Mack's art fills the screen. There's very little music or sound effects for the
2.0 sound to show off, but all the dialogue comes through excellently. The big
extra here is a commentary on an entire issue of Kabuki, with Mack going
over the issue, page-by-page and panel-by-panel. This highly detailed look at
the comic will be a true delight for Mack's fans. From there, Mack reads from
his new children's picture book, The Shy Creatures, while showing
original black and white art from that book. The final extra is a look at Mack's
volunteer work with Visionaries and Voices, an art program for individuals with
disabilities.

Overall, an interesting and entertaining documentary that will be of
interest to fans of comic book art, or art in general. Not guilty.